In this episode of ATTRA’s Voices from the field, NCAT Agriculture Specialists Danielle Duni and Darron Gaus speak with Jeremiah Eubank, a rancher in Canyon Lake, Texas.

Jeremiah and his wife Maggie operate Pure Pastures, a family-owned multi-species grazing operation. The Eubanks have been ranching since 2015, using trial and error to perfect their rotational grazing practices. They strive to provide the most flavorful and nutrient dense meat to their community, while rebuilding topsoil and the native prairie landscape that once dominated the Hill Country.

This conversation covers some of the practical ways listeners can “tune their eye” and make better decisions while monitoring rangeland, resulting in better, more usable data.

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ATTRA Resources:

Monitoring Checklist

Rangeland App: Modern Tool for Graziers – ATTRA – Sustainable Agriculture

Test Driving the New LandPKS Land Monitoring App – ATTRA – Sustainable Agriculture

Soil Moisture Monitoring: Low-Cost Tools and Methods – ATTRA – Sustainable Agriculture

Assessing Soil Health on Grazing Lands Using a Shovel and a Knife – ATTRA – Sustainable Agriculture

Safe to Fail Trials with Graeme Hand – ATTRA – Sustainable Agriculture

Resources – Soil for Water

Additional Resources:

Pure Pastures

Grassland Production Forecast (Grass-Cast) | Drought.gov

CoCoRaHS – Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network

Grazing Monitoring Stick

How to Use a Grazing Monitoring Stick

Tags: Grazing, Soil Health, Sustainable Agriculture

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialists Nina Prater, Darron Gaus, and Lee Rinehart continue their exploration of plant nutrients. In previous episodes, they covered nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and calcium, and in this episode they dive into the pungent world of sulfur. They discuss the history of sulfur, how sulfur is related to air quality, how sulfur works in the soil, why it is so important in plants, and how to manage sulfur in sustainable and organic ways.

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ATTRA Resources:

Nitrogen: https://attra.ncat.org/episode-260-rising-fertilizer-costs-look-to-history-for-answers/

Phosphorus: https://attra.ncat.org/episode-304-phosphorus-and-the-beauty-of-biology/

Potassium: https://attra.ncat.org/episode-323-potassium-from-past-to-present/

Calcium: https://attra.ncat.org/episode-365-calcium-the-premier-soil-nutrient/

Overview of Cover Crops and Green Manures: https://attra.ncat.org/publication/overview-of-cover-crops-and-green-manures-2/

Managing Soils for Water: How Five Principles of Soil Health Support Water Infiltration and Storage: https://attra.ncat.org/publication/manage-soil-for-water/

References:

Britannica Science: https://www.britannica.com/science/sulfur

Decades After Clean Air Act, Most Smokestacks Still Lack Scrubbers: https://publicintegrity.org/environment/decades-after-clear-air-act-most-smokestacks-still-lack-scrubbers/

Air Pollution Legislation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leblanc_process

Hell on Earth: The Sulfur Mines of Sicily: https://www.lagazzettaitaliana.com/history-culture/10307-hell-on-earth-the-sulfur-mines-of-sicily

Revisiting the role of sulfur in crop production: A narrative review:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666154324000504

Sulfur Deficiency: https://www.sulphurinstitute.org/sulphur-in-agriculture/sulphur-deficiency-sources-and-symptoms/

In this episode of Voices from the Field, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Audrey Kolde sits down with colleagues Ann Baier and Andrew Coggins to discuss the initial steps in obtaining organic certification in farming. Before coming to NCAT, Audrey worked as a manager of vegetable production on a certified organic farm, and she brings that experience to this conversation.

In addition to her role as an NCAT Agriculture Specialist, Ann is also certified organic inspector. Ann has inspected numerous organic farms, livestock operations, and handling (processing) facilities to ensure compliance with USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) and international organic standards.

NCAT Agriculture Specialist Andrew Coggins facilitated ten Organic Academy Roadshow workshops in five states between 2022 and 2024, providing training to farmers and ranchers on organic production practices for both crops and livestock.

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NCAT Resources

Ask an Ag Expert Connect – ATTRA – Sustainable Agriculture

Find Organic Resource Organic Farming – ATTRA – Sustainable Agriculture

Other Resources

Organic Regulations | Agricultural Marketing Service

Organic Integrity Database https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/organic-certification/farms-operations

If you are a producer who wants to get certified by a USDA-accredited certification agency, find the current list of those: https://www.ams.usda.gov/resources/organic-certifying-agents

Organic Trade Association’s study finds that the USDA Organic label is among the most trusted by consumers. https://www.farmprogress.com/organic/organic-stands-out-in-a-growing-sea-of-labelsutm_rid=CPG02000008489713&utm_campaign=97156&utm_medium=email&elq2=9b2f8ae1c10944179ff6cf3d4e18209c&sp_eh=54253693183eb833a6e39ca4dab2768d807401229a0c2ea146804e542447f37c

This work is supported by NCAT’s Preparing a Resilient Future: Beginning Farmer and Rancher Training for Organic Field Crop and Livestock Producers in the Northern Great Plains.' Project, award no. 2021-70033-35698. from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.